Macrina Mackan - Week 7

The theme for this week's class is giving life and life giving, or in simpler words, the theme for this week is motherhood. It's so great to be able to explore this topic, given that Mother's Day was only a few days ago. The short story titled, "My Mother Not My Mother" by Professor Valverde reminded me of something I am going through in my life. She tells the story of her complicated relationship with her mother. She informs the audience of her upbringing in Vietnam, being raised by her paternal grandparents until the age of 5. She confides in us the time when she stopped seeing her mother as her mother and how she resented her for leaving at such a young age. It wasn't until many years later that she found out why her mom left and the complicated events that had to happened in order to bring her into this world. What struck deep within me was when Professor Valverde explained how she tried to put herself in her mother's situation in order to better understand why she did what she did and the emotional rollercoaster she went through. This reminded me of my situation with my own father. Growing up, my relationship with him was rocky due to his alcohol addiction. At the age of 11, my parents divorced and my father disappeared from my life. Over the past 10 years, I have only talked to and seen him a handful of times. I was so angry with him for the longest time. He lived only 20 minutes away from me yet could never take the time to visit his daughter. It wasn't until I put myself in his shoes. I could only imagine the embarrassment he feels from all those years of pain he caused his family. He must think we are better off without him. Hearing Professor Valverde's story reminds me that I am not alone. So many people have family issues, and sadly it has become normal. My question is, how do different beliefs affect the way that different culture deal with family issues? I want to take this time to thank my mom for raising me and for making me who I am today! Throwback of the two of us: